#Imogen the Betrayed

[bread-wizards]

I find it interesting that out of all the party, Laudna and Orym are following in Ashton's footsteps a bit in hiding things from the party (Orym with the Nana Morri deal, Laudna with her interacting with/talking to Delilah more and more), and I wonder how much of it is the residual impact that Bor'dor's betrayal had on them.

#critical role #cr3 #orym #orym of the air ashari #ashton greymoore #ashton #laudna #text post #i often think about the episode after everyone was reunited and the vastly different tone between the groups #laudna was angry because she had given into delilah and killed bor'dor and the others had a somewhat nice break #orym was betrayed by someone he trusted with info on his husband but he turned out to be part of the group responsible for killing him #ashton's immediate response to it alludes me but i find it interesting how his first response was damage control #he didn't stop it but he was there to pick up the pieces as much he could #but like he has tried with orym someone needs to look out for the people who are looking out for the rest #which is why i think his taking of the shard was born out of a skewed form of protectiveness #we need the power and it could kill someone so ill do it to keep the damage to a minimum #the other group got romance out of it #fcg and frida #fearne and chentey with deanna #even imogen later with laudna once they got back #prism was a nice friend as was deni$e #but deni$e also reminded orym of dorian (as in of his existence since she knew of dariax) which rubbed salt in that wound a bit #i know it was funny but also ashton and laudna being a bit insecure about orym being prisms 'best friend' was interesting too #not that i blame either of the ladies for that it was just an unfortunate small thing that I feel contributed to a larger problem #because since they got back laudna has been talking with delilah more and relying on her powers #after imogen said she was disgusted by knowing delilah is watching them #orym went behind their back to make a deal signing away his life with nana morri #and talking more about how lonely he is and thinking about dorian a lot more #we have seen the result of ashton being that he nearly killed himself #but the split really fucked those 3 up

[arcticwaters]

something something reckless dangerous decisions something something confronting mortality

#critical role #cr spoilers #ashton greymoore #laudna #laudmoore #my art #critter role #i drew this right after ep77 but the parallels i saw between them got more confirmed for me in 78 #i spent the ep trying to figure out why laudna was so upset (betrayed was such a strong word for something that had little to do with her) #(like yeah the shard was important but like it wasn't hers it wasn't imogen's it was his journey not theirs. i get being upset but THAT?) #''why didn't they learn my lesson'' was very telling to me and all but confirmed my theory that she saw herself in him #she made a choice to kill bor'dor in a way that risked waking up dalilah but did it anyway because she needed it; a sense of control #the same day she learned that dalilah had become extremely strong and could not die without /her/ dying she watches #ashton make a choice that they knew risked everything but did it anyway for a sense of control. and he dies. #he dies right after she realizes she may have to die to protect her loved ones but it will HURT #and it does hurt; fearne gets hurt they all get hurt #''why did they break her rock?'' #ANYWAY it's like i said in another post: 'they are a child' she says as she cuddles a toy and asks an older woman to hold her #also so sorry i'm shit at effects

[nellasbookplanet]

Kind of fascinated by how, initially, what brought Laudna and Imogen together were recognizing their similarities - the feeling of being an ostracized outsider whose presence evokes a not entirely unwarranted fear; of having powers granted by a mysterious patron they are largely in the dark about yet know, in their heart of hearts, is dangerous both to them and the world at large; of still being tempted and enamoured by this power despite their better judgement - and how they in recent episodes have started moving in polar opposite directions in how to deal with these dark powers.

Imogen has admitted to temptation but, as she sees more and more proof of the danger of both Predathos and the Ruby Vanguard, is violently resisting it. Laudna, meanwhile, has openly called herself a dead end. She can see no way out of her predicament and so instead of trying to fight she’s decided to try to harness as much of it as she can before it burns her out. For what seems like the first time, she and Imogen are truly at odds at where to go; Laudna says maybe we're destined to harness it, Imogen says maybe we're destined to fight it; Laudna is regressing and Imogen is growing; Laudna says move on if I die, Imogen says I don’t accept it. The very fact that Imogen went to the Dawnfather for help, the god with whom Laudna now has bitter history, is a fascinating choice. Would Laudna even accept that help? She certainly wouldn’t ever ask for it. Yet finding a new patron, someone to keep her going after Delilah, seems her only option, but it’s one she’ll never seek on her own because she can’t see the point. They connected thanks to their pasts and now, as they begin to look to their futures, their paths are diverging with Laudna treading blindly towards a dangerous end.

#critical role #cr3 spoilers #cr3 #imogen temult #laudna #I've mentioned before that a laudna-dawnfather connection would be fascinating and i stand by that #but it would also be fascinating to see her reaction to an imogen-dawnfather connection #would she feel betrayed? confused? angry? #would it be something similar to fjord and beaus suspicion toward artie tempered by their trust in jester? #with imogen continuing to seek a solution and laudna being unwilling to even consider looking i wonder where it'll lead #a tragic lover's end? coming to blows bc they both refuse to accept the other's course of action? idk. it's an interesting direction #southern gothic #imodna #nella talks cr

[lessthanimpressedlesbian]

I'm really excited for the imodna reunion, but I'm also absolutely fucking terrified

#critical role #laudna #imogen temult #imodna #they went through such different experiences #imogen had a bad time but she didnt kill someone who betrayed them #laudna is terrified she opened the door for delilah to walk right through again and shes terrified of what she's done #she is not the same laudna she once was #she will probably still try to stay upbeat nd positive and so supportive but how long can she hide her deepest fear from a telepath? #they are both in danger of corruption but it's affected them in different ways and i dont know how they'll reconcile those differences #also i really hope we get some angst with prism #i need to see jealous imogen again #especially if there's gonna be imodna angst anyway

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Half of the Council is learning only now that Fearne and Imogen are Ruidus-born. They're (understandably) a little shaken and mistrusting, since they've tried to wrok with Ruidus-born people before and it has ended badly, with them being too drawn to the red moon to fight it.

FCG, full of confidence : "Well that won't happen to us ! We just did trust exercises and we're devoted to the cause !"

Me, side-eyeing Imogen who just got accepted into the warm embrace of Predathos in her dreams : ...

#I mean the people of the council are not wrong to protest ! #seems like the sharing of information was not ideal ! Allura Percy and Keyleth knew #I'm not saying Imogen will betray but she did just now found a comfort into the god-eater domain so... #but being on the moon will definitely be a challenge... #critical role #cr spoilers #cr campaign 3 #CR3E81

[pinkieroy]

TO ME, the way Imogen feels about Liliana is close to Roman agreeing to kill Logan and then ending up on the floor after the confrontation, it's not a "she is lying to get allies/lying to herself about giving up on her mother" or "she has 100% lost faith in her mother" it is the messy middle ground between it, she is always going to be her mother's child and it will always be complicated, she knows the right thing to do is to fight her and what she stands for, that doesn't erase the expectations she had of her, that doesn't erase the pain of seeing her fall short.

But what I really want to emphasize with the Roman comparison is that she is saying those things without her mother in the room, once they see the other again I feel it will be a lot less straight forward than that, and that is important to me because a parent-child relationship hardly ever is, doesn't matter how old the person is or how much the parent has screwed them over or disappointed them, the face to face confrontation is bound to be messy as fuck

#obviously I could be very wrong and all she wants now is to bring down her mother and she won't hesitate when it comes to it #but to me it way more complex than that #(not a imogen will betray the hells/turn evil post if you interpret it like this i will personally find and bite you) #text #cr spoilers #critical role #bells hells

[sicklyseraphnsuch]

Aftermath and Fallout

The one reservation that I do have is all the ways this party will break. The Hole is hiding the evidence of Laudna's lies, and all the ways she is deliberately making choices.

Now Laudna is the one who went Hard against Ashton when they did their big bad. Girl was straight up ready to kill them. So I need to know... if someone will react as Hard.

You know who I bet will? I think its Chetney. I think give Chetney a chance at Laudna and he'll cut to the quick of her. And that will split the party, but not like with Ashton because Ashton had no one on their side. Laudna will have Imogen, for better or for worse.

#critical role #cr spoilers #you know if ashton hadnt asked fearne to help take on the shard #i fully believe fearne would have sided with ashton #but they ended up alienating the only they couldve gotten #but also fearne and imogen react very differently to being lied to and used #imogen is fucking primed to swallow lies wholesale #imogens reaction to ashton felt contributed in part to laudnas reaction #outside of that i think imogen thought it was stupid but not like laudnas YOU BETRAYED OUR TRUST #laudnas poisoning the well btw shes the call from inside the house

[revvethasmythh]

If that does happen and she does reach Imogen's dream that would be hilarious because that would be the most active presence she would get of her mom in 20 something years

NO BUT YOU'RE RIGHT 😂 If Liliana sought out a confrontation in the aftermath that WOULD be the most active and involved she'd ever been in this relationship, that's so wack

#cr spoilers #cr3e90 #anon #asks #she really behaved Like That all of Imogen's life and is surprise pikachu Imogen might be actively working against her #and if feeling betrayed by imogen made her actively seek her out for a real conversation? for the first time ever? insanity #what a woman (derogatory)

[yashley]

But my head rolls with the multiple layers of orym's intent in asking fearne “are you with me?” And then upon fearne validating that outreach, immediately putting it to fearne that she’s “going to be the one who has to… do the thing”. god knows orym trusts fearne but I honestly do believe that he knows enough, not judgmentally at all, to know fearne and know that as much as kindness can be in her nature, her nature is chaos. And it can’t be lost on orym with his perception to have caught those moments when imogen tests how brazen she can go, that fearne doesn’t oppose it at all but instead blithely joins in those moments. Yes, orym’s entire motivation is stopping the people who killed his family, stopping the end from swallowing all of the people he still cherishes in his world, his motivation and intensity is absolutely justified in its desperation, that he has the humility to acknowledge that he can support but he can’t be the only one jumping into the position of most danger for once. that orym tells fearne “YOU HAVE to be THE ONE” and assigns that severity of responsibility to an irresponsible (affectionate) fey creature of nonchalant chaos and blasé violence, it’s so much more than just a sudden “it’s on you”. he’s not just tapping fearne on the shoulder to have them suit up to stop imogen together if it comes to that, the way orym watches fearne, and watches. fearne. WANT. to dismiss his level of concern and plea to her; it’s like orym testing fearne, testing her reaction, testing her resolve, and while I believe he sincerely wants to trust her and he does trust his connection with her, orym wouldn’t love fearne completely if he didn’t also love her nature. In all its dangers. And I just love that if it wasn’t just a simple “we’re gonna do this, and YOU have to do THIS”, there’s like a splintering of more love orym has for his best friend because it’s like “I am asking you to be something other than who you are, but I will love you though my heart will break for you even if you can’t”. like this conversation was less about orym devising a contingency plan to keep imogen out of initiative and more so genuinely and so orym-ly confronting fearne about how much he needs her on his side, even if that breaks his heart to put that clearly unbearable task specifically on her shoulders, explicitly telling her “I am RELYING on YOU to potentially take out someone who appeals to your nature, a friend”, it’s like orym can be better prepared if he also needs to consider the depths of how much fearne’s nature silently aligns with her desires in the upcoming altercation. And it’s like this degree of discomfort he deliberately (though not lightly) puts on fearne actually could help her in making whatever decision she’s going to make and not make it as lightly as she might have before. orym, who was there when fearne first started to feel experiences so deeply, who has been through everything of sincerity and companionship, looking her in the eyes and pleading her to willingly choose the harder path. even though he knows just how painful it’s going to be.

#critical role #That being said the true depths of conflict and development that could happen if fearne does go over and then experiences her most agonizing #moment of regret #Like is it predictable so therefore unlikely fearne would ever join the Wrong side? #I mean the entire point of exu prime was that Power is Power and morality is something else #The entire point of a great many great stories is that no bad guy thinks they’re the bad guy #Do I think fearne would consciously betray orym absolutely not. But the distinction without a difference of it all has me #Like yes yes fearne won’t go over obviously but youre telling me that Ashley and Liam wouldn’t Kill that development in their pcs dynamic of #What Next #Prayer circle for the ruicrew to seriously also try to get fearne over but yeah I don’t think she’s a priority to them unlike imogen #Literally obsessed fearne Can’t tell orym yes she’ll do it #and literally obsessed with the orym way orym lets her know he really loves her - how else could he trust her that much #listen I just think of all the missed opportunities for liam/ashs pcs dynamics to dive into the trenches together for them to Kill conflict #also I love italics can you tell

[topaz-mutiny]

Good job, Imogen "Let's try to blind him and draw attention to our location instead of just running to the key" Temult.

That's a Metric Fuck Ton of witnesses.

Which I'm sure is the direct opposite of No Witnesses.

#critical role #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #immy getting on my shit list #Ludinus and Lilliana and Otohan are for SURE going to learn about this and they will be hounded by multiple BBEGs while on the moon #the only way I can see this working out is if Imogen betrays the party and goes Full Pro Predathos/Ludinus #and calling attention was on purpose but made to look on accident

[starchildghost]

me gently shaking laudna in my mind for the past few weeks

#cr 3 #laudna #delilah tells you your friends will betray you #then we have the murderbot incident etc #then ashton standing by and orym encouraging her to kill bor’dor #inviting delilah back in #then imogen disappears with ashton and she panics #and it’s played for laughs but. come. join me in gently shaking laudna #imogen keeps saying she’s going to sacrifice herself that she’s going to give into ruidus if it saves the gods #(if it saves the people in exandria. if it saves laudna. if it stops otohan from reaching her again) #and then ashton. who didn’t stop laudna from giving into her worst impulses. is gone and they’ve taken imogen #and then you have (spoilers warning) in the most recent episode #fcg casting a spell they know affects laudna #and after ashton snaps her out of it fcg yells at her to believe in the gods or what the fuck ever #fcg uses the gods to instill terror in her after she’s said she doesn’t think the gods like her very much #I want her to go apeshit sooo bad #I am gently. softly. shaking her in my mind

[imogenkol]

Betrayal for Imogen and Cal?

Well, this gave me a reason to finally write the moment where Imogen betrays Cal for the first time in fallen order, so thank you!!

[BETRAYAL]: trying to keep the receiver calm before the big reveal, the sender cups their face gently to keep them steady, and then reveals that they're the villain. words: 1.2k

The vault lay empty. Quiet. Serene, even. Imogen subtly admired the greenery that crawled up the gilded walls, how light refracted off of the bright surfaces and into the water at her feet. Their mud-ridden boots disturbed the shallow pool that flooded the ancient chamber, yet even the small splashes of their steps echoed in whispers. A fleeting calm. Imogen readied herself for the inevitable. 

“Something feels off. The astrium has gotten heavier,” Cal said, his voice tense with caution. 

“Ease your mind, there is no time for distraction,” Imogen replied. She briefly wondered if he began to sense her intent, but she felt the same weight linger through the Force around her, too. There may only be one chance to fulfill her goal and she could not afford to miss it. Not when she was this close. So she shrouded herself behind the invisible shadow at the back of Cal’s mind to await her opportunity. “Unlock the vault. I shall keep watch.”

The young Jedi foolishly nodded and approached the center of the chamber. Imogen slowly circled him, keeping her steps light, carefully watching Cal out of the corner of her eye as she pretended to guard the entrance. He knelt down and lowered the astrium into its slot, manipulating the device with his mind. A few clicks and whirrs and the key disappeared beneath the floor, causing the domed roof to shift above their heads. Warm sunlight flowed over the two of them as the chamber realigned itself. The display reminded Imogen of the inner workings of an old lock. 

Cal watched the massive parts move in awe. “It’s like the entire vault is one giant Holocron.”

“Indeed,” Imogen muttered. She found herself impressed with the ingenuity of the Zeffo, but quickly pushed the feeling of wonder down to search for where the true Holocron might show itself. 

An etched panel off to the side rolled away to reveal a silver, reflective wall of some sort. It resembled a mirror. 

“What is that?” Cal questioned, his curiosity drawing him closer to the mysterious wall. 

Imogen did not trust it. It would not surprise her if the Zeffo implemented a failsafe, even after offering the astrium. The fool may very well set off a trap with a single wrong move for all she knew.

"Leave it." Imogen kept on his heels and reached to stop him just as he went to touch the smooth surface of the mirror. Her hand landed on his arm at the same time his palm connected with his reflection.

It was only a moment — a blink of her eyes — but Imogen suddenly became awash with utter dread. She feared failure. She feared loss. She could smell the tinge of blaster fire and ozone. Explosions shook her eardrums. A ghostly expression of disappointment glared down at her. She felt the agony of losing her leg all over again only to look up and see herself illuminated by her own crimson blade. 

Just as these unexpected and intense visions threatened to consume her, it was over. Both Cal and Imogen stumbled away from the mirror as the two of them gasped to catch their breath. 

“Did you see it, too?” Cal asked, pale features looking like he’d come face to face with something worse than death. 

“I saw nothing,” Imogen lied. “Whatever unsettles you, put it out of your mind.” 

Cal blinked at his reflection for another beat before he nodded and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes widened. “Look.”

Imogen turned to see a green and bronze cube hovered over the center of the vault. Relief settled over her shoulders. The opportunity she had been waiting for flashed in the sunlight before her like it wanted her to seize the revenge that was rightfully hers. All of the risks she took, all of her careful planning, and the delicate facade she has maintained for weeks finally paid off. Cal rushed over and plucked Holocron out of the air.

“This is it!” he exclaimed.

Imogen shook herself out of the brief stupor and joined him, outstretching her hand. “Let me see it.”

He held the device up triumphantly. “Imogen, this is how we will rebuild the Order. This is your – this is our redemption.”

She stepped closer and motioned for the Holocron, her other hand inching towards the hilt on her belt. Her cybernetic leg still ached terribly, but she gritted her teeth and forced her body to remain balanced. “Hand it to me. I will ensure it is not damaged.” 

The young Jedi did not acknowledge her persistence. Urgency overtook him. “We’ll check it on the Mantis. Right now, we need to leave. The Empire will be on our tails in no time.”

“Cal,” she called again to no avail as he lifted his comlink to his lips.

“Greez, get the engine running, we have it.”

As rage gathered like a storm within her, Imogen gently rested her palm against the side of his face and urged the frantic Jedi to meet her gaze. An intensity pooled into her steel irises – that of a hunter who had her prey in sight. Everything went as still as the moment they set foot in the vault. The breath even halted in Cal’s lungs as a terrible feeling dawned on him.

“Cal, give me the Holocron,” she commanded in a calm, steady tone laced with menace. “Or I will kill you.”

The mask fell. Cal stared into the eyes of an Inquisitor. One who may not harbor allegiance to the Empire any longer, but who held all of the malice and ruthlessness as her former peers. He finally saw the young woman for what she was — a monster with an insatiable hunger for power and revenge. 

All of Imogen’s training screamed at her to run him through without a second thought. She should have done it while he was distracted. Imogen certainly hadn’t experienced much trouble eliminating Jedi in the past. But something about the tightness in her gut when Cal touched that mirror gave her pause. On the Mantis, she had easily made the decision to kill him, but now that the time came, a part of her wanted to give Cal one last chance to let go of the Order. She couldn’t quite figure out why. At the very least, she would offer him a fair fight. Not that it would do him any good. 

Cal flinched away from her touch. “You...”

As soon as he took half a step back, Imogen ignited her blood-red blade and swung, stopping it a mere inch from his neck. The Jedi froze once more. Her next words were as precise as her movements. “I will not ask again.”

#oc insp: imogen kol #brotp: a force to be reckoned with #.1 seconds later trilla enters the chat #I've always liked the idea of Imogen's betrayal here being calm and almost kind...? #she 'hates' Cal but really only betrayed him because he wanted to rebuild the order #they actually wanted the same thing in the end and hell he did destroy it anyway #but in the moment they were just not fully aligned #but that's okay cause I really like the idea of imogen vs cal vs trilla thunderdome style here

[c-duceusclay]

SORRY, SORRY, BUT WHO ELSE HAS BETRAYED LAUDNA, I GENUINELY DON’T REMEMBER?

I’M LOST AND CONFUSED, WHO ELSE HURT HER LIKE THIS

#ALL I CAN REMEMBER IS IMOGEN AND THE ROCK #BUT SHE BETRAYED IMOGEN W/ THE ROCK?? #critical role #criticalrole #critrole #crit role #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers

[lessthanimpressedlesbian]

The best possible outcome for Imogen and Laudna re: the gnarlrock is for Orym to take the rock away and destroy it himself. The second best outcome is if Imogen tells Laudna and they destroy it together. The absolute worst outcome is if Imogen keeps the rock a secret for an extended period of time and Laudna only finds out because of Orym or Delilah.

#critical role #critical role spoilers #cr spoilers #laudna #imogen temult #imodna #i for one want option 2 #it would be very symbolic and poetic #but i hope option 3 doesnt happen #it might actually make laudna leave the group #because here is her best friend in the world betraying her trust and promise #laudna had no control over what delilah did #but imogen intentionally chose to keeo the rock #it might be warping her #but she actively chose to keep the rock before it had a chance to attune to her #laudna doesnt trust herself right now #and if she cant trust her closest friend then what use is there in her staying? #might write a fic about this later

[georgiarts]

Just finished ep49 and ahhhhhhhh that conversation between imogen and laudna i love them and they love each other 🖤🖤🖤

#cr #critical role #cr3 #and im so glad laura brought up the fact they hadn’t spoken and that Imogen was scared bc I’m really glad to know it was a conscious choice #in character for her #imodna #they’re so romantic u guyssssss #I can’t wait to see what happens next with Imogen I’m scared for her and for what doing whatever she ends up choosing or having to do #how it’ll affect her in the long run and whether she’ll end up betraying bc I wouldn’t put it past laura to play that out and I’d love to #see the repercussions on laudna and how she’ll try and stop her and whether or not she’ll succeed ahhhh #v exciting times #sad we have to wait extra til the next episode but glad they get a break #critical role spoilers #cr spoilers

[lynxalon]

HOLY SHITTTTTTTTTTTTT THAT CRITROLE EP WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! im SO glad we had the set up of the last one so we could have the big thrills of this!!!!!!!!! this had everything!! it had ira's bad (and good!) decisions! it had sam's out of pocket wacky can shenanigans!! it had deception and sneaking! it had badass plays and some.. eye-catching talents 👀 it had gross shit that's kinda actually sad if u think about it! it had walking (running) away from explosions (NOT a sunglasses moment this was a loserfail) it had .. terrifying parents. it had imodna momence !! :D it even had some unprecedented wins for our typically fighty/flighty adventurers!!! i will ABSOLUTELY be watching that again come monday!!!!!!!!!!

#lynx speaks #cr spoilers #now to expand upon these!!! i am THRILLED that there has been a more overt notice of orym's hex 😏 #thats what i've been excited for for aaaaaaages i adore orym esp when he gets a little more fucked up #what can i say im a bit of an angst fan myself :D #fcg gave ira SUCH a bad time tho like CMON BBYYYYY 1 MINUTE ?!?!?!?!?!! yall r LUCKY yalls r cool af #also tho.... ira actually saving fearne like 👀 i see it!!! i think simply everyone likes fearne and everyone would save her 😎 #and team infiltrate i loooved imogen's use of that damn .. what was it called ? the damn static bomb that was sick as hell!!! #and hey!! both teams got in and out without anyone catching on that it was bells hells helping! #is that a first for bh? cause it sure feels like it TBH like the feywild malleus key stunt did NAWT go this smoothly #even with the bumps they had they did terrific frfr #esp with imogen setting up oryms badass fighter play and launda and chet setting each other up for success #and it does FEEL like imogen is more powerful on ruidus just from the plays she makes like the static spell and how it set Everyone up #to protect them all and keep their enemies in bad positions so that bh had good positions #they barely got hits and orym and chet took the brunt of it #they got out everoa and themselves without too much hassle and i'd say team mcfuckin 'splosion did pretty fucken well too #more damage on their side but. thatssss not their fault thats mainly on ira (and fcg 😂) #gosh. goshhh. what a good fucking episode. and sorrowlord zathuda. and liliana. fuck bro. #zathuda is SCARY #and liliana i meaaaaaaan. hun what did u THINK 🧐 imogen meant when she told u to run?? 🤔 'did she know' u know the answer to that. #i was definitely excited cause. we knew the volition were gonna fail in killing liliana. but i felt in my heart that she was gonna #feel betrayed by imogen. despite creating the scenario in which imogen must 'betray' her. #i LOVE fucked up mothers cant waaaaait to see what happens next !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!